The University of Alabama in Huntsville - Overview
Engineering, Science, Business, Nursing, and the Liberal Arts Are Offered at Research-Intensive UAHuntsville
A doctoral-granting, research-intensive institution, the University of Alabama in Huntsville prepares students for demanding positions in engineering, science, business, nursing, and the liberal arts. The university is committed to rigorous scholarship, innovative education, technological research, cultural growth, and entrepreneurial creativity in order to enrich the global community its students will face when they graduate.
Internships and Co-Ops Offer Outstanding Opportunities for On-the-Job Learning and Growth in Job-Market Competitiveness
Students can gain career experience and competitive pay as they earn a degree. Through co-op or internship participation, students learn about particular positions, discover career strengths, gain work experience, and enhance their post-graduation marketability. While a university degree provides educational tools for embarking on a successful career, co-ops and internships refine those tools and increase a student's competitiveness in the job market. The co-op and internship departments work directly with employers so students receive tasks related to their career goals and university course work so students can showcase their academic talents and share their practical skills with employers in the job setting.
UAHuntsville Offers A Large Co-Op Program, With Pay Reaching $9,000 Per Semester
By participating in the Cooperative Education Program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a student receives the valuable opportunity to sample a job affiliated with a university major. The UAH co-op program allows participants to work in positions within their fields of study while working toward a degree. UAHuntsville has one of the largest cooperative education programs in the Southeastern United States, and student can earn up to $9,100 per semester while earning their degree. Students who have decided on a degree program can apply for paid jobs, with the assistance of the university's co-op department. The university sees the cooperative education program as an important way for students to supplement their educational achievements with practical work experience, expanding job responsibilities, and part-time income to offset college costs.
Internships Offer Work Experience, Possible Academic Credit, and an Introduction to a Potential Employer
Internships are another way students can sample work tasks related to their degree program. Like co-ops, professional experience is gained, yet internships may be paid or unpaid. Like co-ops, they are short-term or temporary jobs, often centered on special projects. Academic credit is often given for successful completion of internships.
UAHuntsville's Location is Ideal for Science and Engineering Education, Co-Ops, and Internships
UA Huntsville is located in Cummings Research Park, the second-largest university research park in the country. Cummings has more than 285 aerospace, computer, and defense-related companies employing more than 25,000 technologists, entrepreneurs, and managers. The university campus is also within minutes of Redstone Arsenal, where more than 30,000 engineers and scientists work in NASA's Marshall Space and Flight Center and numerous Army research laboratories, as well as the new Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. (It is often in Research Park where students are employed within the cooperative education program.)
A Thought-Provoking Environment of a Multi-Faceted Liberal Arts College Challenges Students to Gain a Global Perspective
Liberal arts appeals to students who wish to investigate their world and the people within it. It also fosters a creative environment for students seeking future endeavors in the areas of art, drama, and music. Whether a student is in a liberal arts class to determine solutions for social issues or to prepare for a career in public relations, the College of Liberal Arts is a thought-provoking environment for the eager mind.
A variety of graduate and undergraduate degrees, including pre-law preparations, are available within the College of Liberal Arts. The university offers an extensive list of majors and minors, and students interested in pursuing a degree or course work in the social sciences, fine arts, education, or the humanities can look to the university's interdisciplinary programs. From sociology to writing and from philosophy to history, the college offers courses to expand a student's global perspective. Private institutions are often known for their liberal arts-based curriculum; however, UAH's public campus houses a multi-faceted liberal arts college, so students concerned over private tuition costs can still find a liberal arts curriculum at public tuition rates.
The liberal arts college corresponds to the university's overall mission of supporting students in each phase of their studies. Interaction with teachers, advisers, and fellow class members helps students succeed in their educational pursuits and meet career goals. The university provides students the opportunity to contribute directly to some areas of study. For example, a student who chooses to major in psychology can volunteer for, and conduct research in, university psychology labs.
Class Size is a Big Factor in a Student's Education, and UAHuntsville's Small Classes Give Students a Competitive Edge
One of the many unique advantages of the University of Alabama in Huntsville is the small classes in most campus courses. A firm believer in the idea that a smaller class size is usually a better environment for learning, UAHuntsville is committed to the idea that learning is a collaborative experience. UAH wants students to be engaged by faculty and for that dialogue to lead to educational enrichment for everyone involved. Regardless of intended major or course of study, students are likely to find that the majority of their course load will involve small classes where every student has immediate access to faculty members and educational resources.
As a relatively small university, UAH has the luxury of focusing more of its resources on the educational experience. Many incoming students realize quickly that their high school class sizes may have been considerably larger than what they find at UAH. And while that may take some getting used to, nearly every student comes to appreciate the fact that they are learning in smaller groups.
Smaller class sizes are just one of many attractive qualities that incoming freshmen find every year at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. By making its faculty and resources more accessible to its students, UAH gives them the very best opportunity to succeed. UAH believes that the intimate class settings are better preparing its students for the cooperative and collaborative environments that they will find in the workplace - and as leaders of an emerging generation.